Key Gillard supporters win in reshuffle

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has rewarded some of her key supporters from last week’s aborted leadership challenge, which she described as “appalling and self-indulgent’’.

Vowing there would be zero tolerance for disloyalty from now on, Ms Gillard also rejected claims by now former ministers Martin Ferguson and Simon Crean that she had embraced class warfare and dumped the Hawke/Keating legacy of governing for all.

Ms Gillard noted that Labor believed in the power of the markets when it came to climate change while the Coalition did not, and that she was a supporter of enterprise bargaining, with or without union involvement – another Hawke/Keating reform.

Announcing her fourth ministerial shake-up in less than three years, Ms Gillard elevated Gary Gray, a former Woodside Petroleum executive, to the Resources and Energy portfolio, as expected. His current roles of Special Minister of State and Minister for the Public Service and Integrity go to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, at Monday’s swearing-in ceremony, earlier said she was appalled by the “self-indulgent” events of last week.
Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Jason Clare was another big winner, entering the cabinet while keeping his responsibility as Justice Minister.

Ms Gillard’s numbers man, Don Farrell, was elevated to the outer ministry as Minister Assisting on Tourism, as was NSW backbencher Sharon Bird.

Key Rudd backer Anthony Albanese was also promoted, taking over the Regional Development portfolio from the sacked Simon Crean, while Victorian Catherine King becomes his junior minister.

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Trade Minister Craig Emerson has added Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research to his responsibilities.

Greg Combet is now the Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation, with the department of Climate Change merged into his industry department.

Jan McLucas has been appointed Minister for Human Services.

Bernie Ripoll is now Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business, Andrew Leigh is Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Matt Thistlethwaite replaces Mr Marles as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island and Multicultural Affairs, Amanda Rishworth is now Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, while Shayne Neumann MP has become Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called on the government to bring out “an honest budget” on May 14.
Photo: Andrew Meares

The reshuffle comes after former senior ministers Martin Ferguson, Chris Bowen and Kim Carr resigned from the cabinet on Friday, and after Mr Crean was sacked on Thursday.

ABBOTT seizes on chaos

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott earlier seized on the chaos surrounding the government, saying it must bring out “an honest budget" on May 14 without playing the class war card which “Simon Crean and Martin Ferguson so decently and honestly warned us about last week’’.

Mr Abbott said the Hawke/Keating government had flaws but it never set out to deliberately divide the nation.

He said with 50 days to go before the budget, the government should “look to Hawke and Keating for inspiration’’.

The government is considering targeting superannuation concessions for the well off to fund its “Labor values’’ policies.

With Gillard loyalists to be rewarded, Mr Abbott said it would be an “L-plate cabinet’’ and he was critical that with Chris Bowen having been pushed out, Labor was onto its sixth Small Business Minister with Mr Gray.

Rudd backers’ actions a ‘disgrace’: Combet

Earlier on Monday, Mr Combet described the actions of Rudd backers as a “disgusting disgrace".

Mr Combet lashed out at those behind last week’s Labor leadership “fiasco" and did not hold back when asked whether last week’s purge was appropriate.

“That somehow or other it’s legitimate to deliberately undermine and destabilise your own side of politics, to undermine your own leader, your own political party, particularly while it’s in government so you can bring about some leadership change, I think is a disgusting disgrace," he told ABC radio.

“And that culture that has developed in backgrounding journalists and leaking information in order to promote some individual’s ambition has to be wiped out the Labor party."